Led by vocalist and guitarist Bogoljub "Čombe" Banjac, Amajlija reached the peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their melodic hard rock sound.
[1][2] Initially, the band performed cover versions of songs by The Rolling Stones, Riblja Čorba and Azra, and slowly prepared their own material.
[4] The album Samo ti (Only You) was released in 1989 through Diskoton and brought the minor hits "Požuri druže" ("Hurry Up, Comrade") and "Dobar drug" ("Good Friend").
[1] The band's following album Zašto si tako blesava i luda (Why Are You so Weird and Crazy), also produced by Aničić, was released in 1990 through PGP-RTB.
[4] Since Aničić decided to devote himself completely to a career as a producer, Većkalov switched to playing guitar, and the new bassist became the former Arena member Zoran "Zobma" Marjanović.
[4] While previous Amajlija album was more hard rock-oriented, Zašto si tako blesava i luda presented the band with a more pop rock sound,[4] with the songs "To je bio dan" ("That Was the Day"), "Čeznem da te zeznem" ("I Wanna Screw You Up"), and "Veruj u ljubav" ("Believe in Love") becoming the album's biggest hits.
[1] The album's biggest hits were the title track and the acoustic ballad "Ume biti gadno" ("It Can Get Nasty"), which the band had considered not to release at all.
[4] Due to the intense live performances after the album release, including the 1992 and 1993 Gitarijada festival in Zaječar, Vruće + hladno became the band's greatest commercial success.
[4] However, the tracks "Dala si mi" ("You Gave Me") and the cover of Đorđe Balašević song "Prva ljubav" ("First Love"), due to their frequent radio broadcasts, became hits and the band got the opportunity to perform at the Music Festival Budva.
[4] After the album release, on 13 May 1994, the band held a large open air concert at Novi Sad's Danube Park handball playground.
[4] In 1995, the band recorded the album Nikad više kao pre (Never Again Like Before), produced by Nenad "Japanac" Stefanović, who also wrote the music arrangements.